Tag Archives: Sb 72

On Tuesday, March 29, FHA Public Policy Analysis Ed Randazzo, FHA Lobbyist Norman Woods and I made our way to Pierre for the Governor’s Veto Consideration Day. It was a FULL day, which began with Norman and I being invited to stand in a photo shoot as the Governor signed two of the bills we supported into law.

The First was the signing of SB129 – the Suicide Prevention Bill. South Dakota has become the 17th state to pass the Jason Flatt Act. Matt Walz of the Keystone Treatment Center, Canton, SD, said of SB129,

Today, supporters from across the state attended a bill signing ceremony with the Governor. The passage of the Jason Flatt Act in South Dakota is an exciting step toward reducing the ‘Silent Epidemic’ of teen suicide.

The Jason Flatt Act – South Dakota, will require teachers and certified public school personnel to complete at least one hour of training on youth suicide prevention and awareness per certification cycle. Teachers are on the front lines of suicide prevention and if given the right tools, they can identify a teen who may be considering suicide and refer appropriately.

Teacher training is proven to be one of the most impactful policy strategies a state can adopt to prevent teen suicide, said Clark Flatt, President of the Jason Foundation.

The Second signing was of SB72 – the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Bill. Representative Fred Deutsch, who also serves as the President of the SD Right To Life, wrote of those gathered for this photo shoot:

(We are) Grateful to work with these fine people to pass the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect from abortion unborn children who are capable of feeling pain.

When it comes to the subject of ABORTION Pope Francis was wise in having said: “Abortion is a death sentence for unborn children.” This bill – the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act – supports South Dakota’s long-standing tradition of upholding a “culture of life.”

It was a good day of connecting with a number of our FHA Legislative friends and meeting some NEW Legislative candidates as well. One such friend is our Attorney General Marty Jackley. We are looking forward to working with him and fellow Legislators as we prepare legislation for the 2017 92nd Legislative Session in Pierre.

The “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” (SB 72) becomes law in South Dakota on July 1, thanks to the overwhelming support of our compassionate legislators and Governor Dennis Daugaard. South Dakota has become the 13th state to take this step toward life and the sanctity thereof!

Medical research shows that unborn babies can experience pain at some point in time around 20 weeks gestation. Now, South Dakota has joined 12 other states in humanely prohibiting abortions after the 20-week mark. “While in South Dakota an exception is made in the case of medical emergency, this statute gives specific guidance to medical professionals advising pregnant women on the effects of abortion on the unborn child. It also provides for a detailed reporting of the care women receive in medical procedures involving terminating the life of an unborn child“, noted Jennifer Utter, FHA Legal Advisor. “Such detail aids law enforcement in evaluating cases involving illegal actions by medical professionals. As stated, there is no criminal penalty involving the patients,” Utter continued.

The Family Heritage Alliance Action believes that all abortions deny a human his or her right to life and does other grievous damage to the mother. However, the Legislature and Governor Daugaard’s enactment of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is clearly a step in the direction of advancing the culture of life in our state, our country, and our civilization as a whole.

We want to thank our constituents across the state who emailed and called in support of this bill. Certainly, our sincere appreciation is extended to the legislators who fought for this bill, our governor who signed it, and all of those who opted for civil discourse on both sides of the issue.

One word which typifies the heart of the FHA Action is the word – RELATIONSHIPS. I am thrilled to run into friends, many of whom hold to the same Christian Worldview as I do, here at the Capitol. It was great visiting with Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender as he was at the Capitol attending several meetings. Hot Springs Pastor and friend, Phillip Shively, came to the Capitol for THREE days and spent his time shadowing both Rep. Scott Craig, pictured here, along with FHA Lobbyist Norman Woods and myself. Another Pastor showed up on the Capitol’s doorstep this past week in Pastor Sean McPherson of Rapid City. Sean’s also thrown his hat into the ring as a Candidate for the SD House in District 32. I really appreciate his Campaign’s motto as it reads: “Family Focused – Family First”.

This year….PRO-LIFE BILLS ABOUND…and it’s wonderful! It is so good to see our friend and SD Eagle Forum President Kitty Werthmann still lobbying hard at the Capitol for our Christian Values. This week Kitty took to the testimony chair as she supported SB 72. This is a Bill crafted by the South Dakota Right to Life and it will prohibit the abortion of an unborn child who is capable of experiencing pain. This is frequently referred to as the Pain Capable Child Protection Act and it will heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee this Wednesday, Feb. 17.

BTW – This week HB1008, a Bill called our Student Physical Privacy Act and supported by FHA Action, was passed out of the Senate Education Committee on a vote of 4 to 2. It will now be voted on by the full Senate as early as this Tuesday, Feb. 16. HB 1008 simply requires students to use the bathrooms of their biological sex and accommodates for those walking through gender confusion. Please visit our LEGISLATIVE RADAR for this and other bills we are working. To send your Senate a clear and passionate email asking him/her to VOTE YES on HB 1008, click here!